Girls will be boys
by JollyProbiotics
Summary: "Being the youngest is hard. Being the only girl is even harder. But all the guys love me." Very fluffy. Rated T for light violence and swearing and light romantic encounters. Please R&R, and let me know anything that I can do better!
1. Socs vs greaser

Being the youngest in the gang is hard. That means that I'm also the smallest. But what makes it really hard, is that I am also the only girl. Though my petite size and stature doesn't stop me from kicking ass!

Being the only girl has its pros and cons.

Pros: I can get away with so much more than the boys can, I'm allowed to have feelings (though I rarely show them and, I can get out of a tight spot with my girlyness

Cons: They always think they need to protect me, I _have_ emotions, I'm treated like everyone's little sister (okay that one's not too bad), and no one thinks I can _do_ anything!

I'm one of the only two people that can really make Darrel Curtis laugh, and the guys all like having me around, so that's another plus. Honestly, they're like my family. They're better than my real one anyway.

I was walking over to the Curtis house from the gas station. I had stopped there to pick up some Cokes for the gang, and had said hi to Soda and Steve. Anyway as I was walking, some Socs showed up in a big truck. I had been jumped before, but I had always been with one of the bigger guys, like Dally or Darry or even Soda. So naturally, I was terrified. But I kept walking. I wanted to run, but I walked.

"Hey girlie," one of them said.

I ignored him. Five more crowded around me. There was one with rings. I had heard about the guy with rings. Johnnycake had been jumped by this guy before, and I didn't want to mess with him.

My heart was in my throat.

"We'll take those," the ring guy said pointing to my case of pop.

"Sorry," I said. "But I don't give things to jerks in big trucks."

Some of the guys had started to make "ooo" sounds. Ring guy glared at me. Two more guys stepped forward and pinned me down. One of 'em socked me a couple of times, and the other pulled out a switch blade.

"Hand it over, and you can go."

Then I made the worst possible decision. I spat in his face. Down came the knife. It sliced open my arm and nicked my forehead. They socked me a few more times when I tried to yell for Soda. A knife to the cheek and four punches later, I had finally pulled out a coke bottle and smashed it on the curb. I held it by the end and the guys backed off slightly. I was able to stand and pull out my own switchblade. I pointed it and broken bottle out towards the guys on either side of me. The one I wasn't aware of, took a coke bottle and hit me over the side of the head with it. Then I blacked out.


	2. Good thing you called

"Penny? Penny!" Darry was worried. I can tell, and he isn't worried too often. The whole gang had turned up to find the only girl. Darry started sending us off in different directions.

"Dally, Johnny, go check around Soda's gas station. Pony, you and Two-Bit check the lot. I'm gonna check our place again, and the movie house. Meet back at Soda's gas station in 10 minutes."

We all took off running to our given locations. We were all worried. Even Two-Bit didn't have his usual smile. Penny was tiny, smaller than me even. She was only thirteen, almost fourteen, but still only thirteen and should not have been walking on her own around here.

The lot was empty. Well, empty except for some broken glass here and there, a broken knife and trash thrown everywhere.

"Damn it." Two-Bit kicked an old bottle.

"Where could she be?" I asked. I sat on the curb and put my chin in my hand.

"The worst place she could be is dead on the curb, but I'm pretty sure she's at one of the other places the guys are checking," Two-Bit consoled. "C'mon, let's go back to the station. I'm sure she's sitting there, laughing at us for freaking out."

"Did you find her?" Soda asked us as Two-Bit, Darry and I walked through the door. We all shook our heads. Soda lost his stuck on grin. "Where's Dally and Johnny?"

"Here!" Johnny burst through the door, waving Penny's black baseball cap. She never took it off. Something was wrong. Dally followed close behind Johnny, holding an unconscious Penny.

Soda, Two-Bit and Darry swore. Steve came out from in the back of the gas station.

"What's going on? Did you-" He looked at Penny. "Bring her back here! Put her on the table!"

Dally set her gently on the table.

"She must have been jumped on the way to your place Darry," Steve offered. He already had a first aid kit. Darry looked her over. Her golden hair was in two loose braids, so it was easy to see the injuries on her head and face. Her cheek was swollen and blood from her cuts was flowing down onto the rest of her. It stood out tremendously against her almost white skin. It was even whiter still from the blood loss.

"Look at her hand," I said. It was full of broken glass and was dripping with blood.

"Good eye, Pony," Darry said. He pulled out some bandages and started wrapping up her arm. Steve cleaned and bandaged the cuts on her face. Two-Bit and Soda took a pair of tweezers and began pulling shards of glass out of her hand. Johnny and I were to check her for any more injuries. There was only a large bruise on her knee.

"It was a good thing you called," Darry said to Soda.

Once she was completely cleaned up, we shook her awake.


	3. Awake

"Jeez. My head hurts," I groaned. I opened my eyes and all the guys crowded around me. I touched my cheek gingerly and found that it was swollen on the left side. I looked at Soda. Then Dally, and Johnny, then Ponyboy and Two-Bit and Darry. They all had a mixture of worry and relief on their faces. My bottom lip started to quiver and my eyes watered. Then Darry hugged me, and everything I tried to hold in came out. He just patted my head and let me cry into his shoulder until my sobs turned into hiccups.

Once I was able to speak normally, Dally asked who had jumped me.

"Six guys, all Socs, and one had a bunch of rings." Johnny flinched. He had been beaten pretty badly by that guy. I told the guys everything that I could remember. They all got pretty mad.

"Socs aren't supposed to come to the East side!" Steve slammed his fist onto the table I was sitting on. It made me bounce, which made me realize that it wasn't very stable so I slid off. I stumbled and Soda caught me. I went cross-eyed for a minute but my vision soon went back to normal. Still being supported by Sodapop, I asked how they found me.

"Soda called and told us you were walking on your own. That was dumb of you," Ponyboy answered.

"I'll punch you," I threatened. Pony hugged me as well.

We went back to the Curtis house, and all the boys were plotting against the Socs.

"Guys!" I tried. "It's fine! Seriously, it's okay."

"No, Penny, it's not," said Darry.

Johnny yawned.

"I'm headed home," he said. I looked outside, it was dark.

"Same here," said Two-Bit. He stretched as he stood.

I stood and walked to Soda and Pony's room to grab one of their sweaters. I found a blue sweater that belonged to Soda. It was really big on me.

"Bye Penny!" shouted Two-Bit and Johnny.

I walked out into the living room and flopped back down onto the couch.

"Mind if I stay here again?" I asked Darry.

"Yeah, no problem," Darry yawned. "Goodnight."


End file.
